Until Next Year
by HeartofMine
Summary: Ron and Hermione visit the cemetary... :[


**Until Next Year**

It had been two years since the attack, the devastation, the victory, and the heartache. Two years that had gone by slowly, normally. Or as normally as it possibly could go in the wizarding world.

It was fall in London, and quite chilly. Ron and Hermione walked down the leaf-covered path, hand in hand. They had been happily married for almost a year and were, in fact, expecting their first child come January. When they had made the announcement to Ron's family, they were all overjoyed and celebrated the rest of the night. The reaction from Hermione's parents was very similar. But no matter how much joy and happiness came into their lives, it never was enough to cover the sorrow that would be there, with them until the end of time.

They studied the headstones as they walked past them, recognizing a few names here and there. The cemetery that they were walking through was a memorial for all of the people who had bravely fought for peace, and who had bravely fought Voldemort and his army of Death Eaters but never made it out alive. They were nearing the end of the pathway and the names became more familiar to them. **_'Remus Lupin'_**, **_'Minerva McGonagall'_**, **_'Severus Snape'_**. Most of the Hogwarts teachers they had grown up with over the years were now gone, and though they had never really liked Snape, they had gained respect for him when he died trying to save Harry.

But those deaths were necessarily the deaths that caused them grief and pain. Ron and Hermione stopped in front of the last two headstones that were slightly larger then the others. The one that they studied first read **_Albus Dumbledore, _**a man that they had loved and respected since their first visit to Hogwarts. His headstone was in the shape of a building that greatly resembled Hogwarts, his pride and joy along with its students. They discovered that the new headmaster, or headmistress if you will, was Mrs. Bones, Susan Bone's aunt who used to work for the ministry. Ginny had had her in her last year at Hogwarts and found that she was sensible and fair, just as Dumbledore had been. But no one could ever take his place.

As Hermione wiped a tear from her cheek and as Ron gripped her hand a little tighter, they both looked at the next headstone. **_Harry Potter._** Their best friend. He was, indeed, their greatest loss. Poor Ginny had been dating him when he died, and a big chunk of her heart was now resting with him. Though she has started dating again, hesitantly, no one could ever replace the love that she had so strongly felt for him.

Hermione knelt down in front of his headstone and she fingered the letters of his name. Tears silently streamed down her cheeks, which were rosy from the bite of the autumn wind. She sniffed and placed a hand to her round, pregnant belly, and pressed the palm of her other hand to Harry's headstone.

"Harry," she said, the sorrow plain as day in her voice. Her eyes shone with sadness as she swallowed and willed herself to continue. "Harry, a lot has happened here since you left. Good things. Me and Ron, we got married." She gave a watery smile at the memory and sniffed again. "Mr. Weasley became Minister of Magic. Things are going really great there. And Ron. Ron now coaches the Chuddley Cannons! He's excellent at it, really. I'm quite proud of him. Me, I've gotten a job at the Daily Prophet as a news reporter. And Harry….I'm going to have a baby. Isn't that wonderful?" Her voice cracked as she spoke and her bottom lip trembled. Ron placed a gentle, comforting hand on her shoulder and wiped a tear from his own cheek. "I shouldn't have to tell you the news this way, Harry. You should be here, with us. You don't deserve this. No one here in this cemetery does. But we miss you most of all. You were like a brother to us both and a best friend as well. I miss you, Harry. I miss you so much." She bit her bottom lip and read his name over and over again. No, it didn't belong there. She tightly closed her eyes and stood, then buried her face in Ron's shirt. Ron's arms came around her, enveloping her, and he looked down at the headstone.

"Harry, mate, we all miss you. Especially Ginny. I think she was lost without you, and she still sometimes is. I can tell. She's moving on, though, like you would have wanted her to. She's still sore. We all are. I wish to God that it hadn't ended this way." His voice wavered and he had to stop and take a steady breath before continuing. " I want you to know that we think about you every day and we'll continue thinking about you for the rest of our lives because, well…we're naming our child after you. Harry James Weasley. You'll always be with us, mate. Always."

Hermione looked up at Ron as he finished and she linked her fingers with his.

"Will it always be like this whenever we come here?" she asked him. Ron studied the headstone for a moment then looked down at Hermione.

"I think it'll get better over time." He brushed a lock of hair from her face, then gently pressed his lips to her forehead. He stared into her chocolate brown eyes, which were red and puffy from crying, and he brushed his thumb over her cheek. "Its starting to get a bit cool out here. Are you ready to head back?"

Hermione nodded and glanced at Harry's grave again, then gave Ron's hand a light squeeze before turning and starting back down the pathway with him, the dead autumn leaves crunching beneath their feet.

They didn't necessarily feel better about having come to see Harry's grave. It only made the heart hurt more each and every time. But they had felt a certain sense of closure that they had to go through with year after year, since his death. When they settled into the car, they looked back to the cemetery.

"Until next year," Hermione muttered, running her fingers down the window. Ron shifted the car into gear and took Hermione's hand again, then drove away, looking back through the rearview mirror.

"Yeah," Ron said, mostly to himself. "Until next year."


End file.
